U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday reaffirmed America's determination to defend the Baltic nations of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia against any aggression from neighboring Russia. Biden told reporters that the U.S. remains committed to NATO's Article 5, the key principle of collective defense of all alliance members. Biden said Trump's remarks were "nothing that should be taken seriously, because I don't think he understands what Article 5 is." In an interview last month with The New York Times, Trump said he would decide whether the Baltic states should enjoy continued NATO protection from Russia based on whether those countries "have fulfilled their obligations to us." Biden said NATO forces would strengthen security along their shared eastern border with Russia.

Source: ABC News August 23, 2016 13:20 UTC